Experiential Marketing: The Basics

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For as long as there have been businesses, there has been marketing. Making use of a range of mediums around, businesses attempt to reach a growing audience, highlight their brand and products and declare that they are the must have. "Buy now, we are the best" is the general (and often subtle) message that is regularly shared.

From radio and television advertising to print and now even today's websites and social media brands use anything and everything they possibly can to communicate their message and the benefits of products and services. The marketing world however has now developed greatly as businesses move beyond simple communication and instead vie for engagement; this is today known as Experiential Marketing.

Experiential marketing does exactly what it says on the tin; attempts to create an experience because after all, an experience is more likely to have a positive impact and get a reaction then the basic communication that we are used to.

You may have seen a few examples during your everyday life, from Sensodyne Toothpastes pop up's around the UK to Blinkbox dropping a giant dragon skull on a Dorset beach to promote the new series of Game of Thrones; good experiential marketing can make a lasting impression and a lasting connection.

For those looking new to experiential marketing or curious as to how toExperiential Marketing  make use of this modern phenomena, below are just a few of the basic facts to keep in mind...

Event sponsorships were once considered the best kind of experiential marketing but today, brands are now one step closer to building a relationship with their consumers by encouraging real engagement. Participation is now the key to a good strategy.

Experiential Marketing strategies are designed to achieve an emotional connection however it all depends on the exact type of emotion you want to achieve. From pop ups designed to give insights into the helpful benefits of a product to party venues throughout the UK; with 'live events' experiential marketing can help you make a powerful and lasting impact. Chocolate company Milka created several large bars that had one square missing; those who purchased the incomplete bars where then told that they could have the missing piece either mailed back to them or mailed to a loved one; the right campaign is a fantastic way to present your brand in a memorable manner.

With the help of social media, marketers can now get a better insight as to what their customers want and need and leverage this. Did you know that a few years ago fans of IKEA had set up a Facebook page "I Wanna Have a Sleepover in IKEA" and how did the brand respond? By inviting fans to do just that! To this day IKEA sleepovers are still quite popular in different areas of the world and work in fantastic favour of the brand. A great place to start with any kind of experiential marketing is to look at what your customers want.

As with any form of marketing, experience marketing must be made measurable in order to determine real success. Whether it is an email address that a customer has requested more information to be sent to or even customers to fill in a form; once users are engaged and you have achieved an emotional connection they are generally far likely to pass over details and show interest in making a purchase. These details can then be used to contact the potential customer and provide them with what a final nudge in the right direction.